The Cartographers’ Guild is a forum created by and for map makers and aficionados, a place where every aspect of cartography can be admired, examined, learned, and discussed. Our membership consists of professional designers and artists, hobbyists, and amateurs—all are welcome to join and participate in the quest for cartographic skill and knowledge.

Although we specialize in maps of fictional realms, as commonly used in both novels and games (both tabletop and role-playing), many Guild members are also proficient in historical and contemporary maps. Likewise, we specialize in computer-assisted cartography (such as with GIMP, Adobe apps, Campaign Cartographer, Dundjinni, etc.), although many members here also have interest in maps drafted by hand.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ. You will have to register before you can post or view full size images in the forums.

Commission piece - The Shadowglade RPG Setting for Pathfinder

I was commissioned to map out the world of the Shadowglade setting for Pathfinder - a new setting that will be coming out later this year. The developer was kind enough to allow me to make the work in progress public. To find out more about the setting and the company you can see the Facebook group or the website for the company - Neo Productions.

Here's a quick run through the WIPs.

I'm currently at the point of adding in the forests and softening up the rivers. After that I'll do the roads, cities and labeling.

Note that this is a commission so all images in this thread are rights reserved.

Nice. I see one river violation (the splitting up of the 2nd river from the east, at the lake) and a minor glitch (the river that flows out of the central north lake seems to flow up-hill for some time; it's just a misalignment though). Will be interesting to see this with labels and all!

Outstanding Tman. Looks like one of your finest (to me cuz I like this style). I think you might have a bit too much white snow but that's very minor.

If the radiance of a thousand suns was to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One...I am become Death, the Shatterer of worlds.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer (father of the atom bomb) alluding to The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Verse 32)

Ah ha, yes. That's not a canyon, but rather an escarpment. So the water flows over a waterfall and the runs to the sea. If it were a canyon you'd be dead right.

As for the uphill bit, there are a couple of places where it's questionable (for those that are very keen - there's a section where a river flows over the shoulder of a mountain) but I'l go in and fix those. That's the inevitable danger of drawing the rivers in first.

The snow is probably just a matter of me making my highlights too bright. There should only really be a suggestion of snow along the northern mountain range. I'll tone down the sharp bright highlights elsewhere. The mountains are supposed to be jagged and sharp as they were created recently. So I wanted them to have clean sharp highlights on the crests and edges.

escarpment.. i had to google that one .. but a pretty awesome map this is. I love the mountains (especially zoomed in, amazing detail!) Also the dark terrain north of the mountains is pretty cool (great detail and color/texture). You plan on using that kind of terrain-technique for the entire map? cheers

@Djekspek: Nope - the region north of the border is blasted and barren so that's an area all of it's own style. It was done using overlay and soft light layers and a wonderful spatter brush. The rest was all (pretty much) done with a standard hard round brush.

@Rob - I like these too. The problem is that I initially started off wanting to do these as obviously hand drawn to make them nice and quick but still attractive - and over time they've got more and more detailed. Ah well.

Here's an update with the forests in and detailed as well as more mellow rivers, an overall coastal glow and some hills.

Next up - the swamp to the SW (with the meandering river), towns and roads, fix the odd uphill river, title, legend and done!